Category: – yoga

1. Burn More Fat

Researchers at Tufts University found that when overweight women lifted heavy weights twice a week, they lost an average of 14.6 pounds of fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle. The control group, women who dieted but didn’t lift weights, lost only 9.2 pounds of fat and gained no muscle. When you do a good weight-training program your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for hours afterward. The increase in muscle aids you in burning fat! Having more lean muscle means your body will burn more calories at rest.

2. Changes Your Body Shape

While genetics play a huge role in determining your physique weight training can chisel your physique and give you definition in all the right places.

3. Boost Your Metabolism

The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.

4. Get Stronger and More Confident

Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying the kids, lifting your groceries and carrying them into the house, and picking up heavy items much easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger within 6 months. Being strong can be very empowering. Weight training will boost your self-esteem and confidence.

5. Build Strong Bones

It’s been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they’re made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age. Bone health gets more and more critical as we age.

6. Improve Mood

The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Endorphins lift your mood naturally and with better self esteem, your mood will just continue to improve.

7. Improve Sports Fitness

Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities. Sportsman or not.

8. Reduce Injuries

Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis.

9. Get Heart Healthy

More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don’t realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who do 30 minutes of weight lifting each week have a 23 percent reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to those who don’t lift weights.

10. Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve the way your body processes sugar by as much as 23 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking medication. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood.

The thunderstorms we had and my workouts today were kind of symbolic of this quote in many ways. Life can be hard and workouts can be hard. They can really hard. But we get to decide how we deal with it. We can grow from it or let it defeat us.

💫You Decide!💫

Those are some sleepy eyes lookin at you. This day kicked me in the a$$. First I woke up early for how late I went to bed last night. But I had to get up because I’m doing Zumba now two days a week with one of my besties. So an hour of Zumbaing and dancin my booty off, followed by a huge thunderstorm and then home to do my workout program, followed by more thunder and lightening! Talk about POWER!

I was so sleepy when I got home, but knew I had to get my workout done. And I did. I kicked it’s butt, but I think mine suffered the most lol. I was totally exhausted after day one of increasing from a 35 minute workout to a 45 minute, especially with doing Zumba right before. I think I pushed myself a little too hard and was totally unprepared for the powerhouse of Speed: 45. Talk about challenging! But that’s one of the things I love about my at home programs. They aren’t just beginners stuff and then useless. There is a constant challenge as you get stronger. You get your money’s worth +

I am super duper sore and really sleepy. And you know what that tells me? I pushed myself to failure and that where it gets golden. In a couple days when I go to do my program I’ll feel the change today made because I will be able to do the moves with more better form and more power. That happened a few days ago. I pushed to where I just could not do anymore and then two days later I felt like Wonder Woman.

This is all a process. And you have to trust the process. I have to believe in myself and all that I am able and will be able to achieve. I think most of all this program has shown me what I’m capable of overcoming and how key nutrition is to success with a workout program. It’s a marriage and one without the other is nowhere near as successful alone.

Schedule Your Day

When I first started working from home I was so scattered I really didn’t have a plan and things just never got done, it was like a loop of best laid plans. And I’d find I would be trying to squeeze in workouts and outdoor activities and I still wan’t getting anything accomplished.

Then I found myself never having an off time or an off day. I would get up and work through the day into too late a dinner and then back at it. One of the biggest mental and physical shifts I needed to make in working from home was to make sure to make time for everything else. AND to schedule what I needed to accomplish for the day in my work life and off time. There needed to be a healthy balance.

I love what I do now and it’s so easy to get involved all day and evening talking with people and immersing myself in my work day but I also love my workouts, my off time with my hubby and friends and getting outside a whole lot!

It’s critical to create structure to my day; even a loose outline can help with staying on track and prioritize work. First and foremost, I’m learning to set clear start and finish times for the workday.I’m still working a few times in the day and evening but I’m learning that even when I divide my time doing some day hours and some evening time, I need a clear defined, shut it down time. Working from home may have different and assorted hours than a normal 9 to 5, but it still needs to have its own set but flexible schedule or your lose sight of the rest of your life.

So make sure you set a time for eating, breaks, phone calls, etc… Set blocks of time to accomplish tasks.

I get sluggish in the afternoon, always have no matter how I adjust my nutrition. So afternoon I need to be up and moving. So not a good time to be sitting working. So afternoons I do very little pc/phone time. Schedule your day according to your own ebb and flow of energy. After all you’re the boss and can tweak it how you want it!

And at the end of your workday, shut down your pc, laptop, tablet, whatever you use. Even if you plan to go back to it for off hours fun. Shut it down for a bit, phone too. This will help your head know that the work day or time is done and your brain and body can relax and go into a more casual mode.

Prep meals and snacks (for the week/the day)

I prep hubby and I’s meals for the week. I do meal plans and do as much make ahead prep as I can. This helps us both stay on track nutritionally and lets our focus be on spending time together during off hours while still eating healthy and not running out to get fast food. Something we did a lot before I started meal planning.

Working at home I still want to eat right and prepping my meals makes eating a nutritious lunch and snack easy. If your blood sugar gets low through the day, concentration will dwindle and you’ll be less productive. Keep away from sugary drinks, bread products and baked goods. Refined carbs and sugar will for sure give you a quick boost, but after the insulin spike hits, it’s gonna drop quick and you will feel more sluggish than you did before. Things like fruits, nuts (good healthy fats), veggies and a bit of protein will help keep you alter and productive steadily through the day. And don’t forget to start the day with a healthy breakfast of protein and healthy fats, and even some fruit or veggies. You can add a carb, but make sure it’s a healthy one like; sweet potato, yams, beans or lentils. The healthy carbs in the morning will help you get started for the day and the healthy fats in the afternoon like nuts, hummus, and avocado are great for brain function!

Schedule daily workouts into your calendar/to do list

Schedule your fitness just like you schedule your work day, birthdays, anniversaries and vacations. Daily workouts should be a part of living every single day.

Enjoy a break or even two, but…

Working from home gives me the luxury of taking breaks when I want, however long I want. And breaks are necessary for your brain. It’s a moment for your head to stop working and take a breather. Breaks allow you to come back mentally rested and ready to tackle the tasks at hand. But I’m still at work so just like at a normal 9-5 I make sure to take a break, but because I can also schedule my day around when I’m most energized I tend to just work in smaller blocks of time through the day and my breaks are productive, like working out, meal prepping, etc…

Sit down to eat outside your work area

So many who work from home eat lunch right there at the pc. This can lead to mindless eating. Schedule the time to step away from your work area, or work area of the day and sit with your lunch and mindfully eat, don’t rush it. Enjoy your lunch and the mental break from your workload.

Step away

You know step counters were created for a reason. Those with desk jobs were not walking around enough. They were sitting at their desks all day long then heading home to sit down to dinner, sit down to do homework with the kids and to finally sit down in the tub or with your spouse to relax for the day.

I make it a point to #takeitoutside. Breaks, workouts and even just taking the laptop out on the balcony to do my work. Scenery and nature allows your mind to relax which will help creatively with your productivity.

Make a point to leave the house — without your car — at least once a day. Bike to meet a friend for lunch, take your dog or kids to hang out at the park, or replace a coffee break in your kitchen with a walk to the nearest coffee shop. A quick walk may even help boost your creativity.

Water

I know when I sit at my pc and get wrapped up in my work day I’ll bring an 8oz glass of water to the desk, drink it and there it sits never to be refilled. Some people are water drinkers by nature and they don’t need to remind themselves. I on the other hand forget to drink, anything through the day. My hubby can pour me a cup of coffee that I ask for and will sit and get cold. So for my work day and life, I decided to go big or go home with my water. Here’s my big

Take mindfulness breaks

Look away from that pc once in a while. Even when your using a tablet, laptop or your phone you need moments to visually step away. This is as good for your eyes as for your brain. My pc is right in front of windows so I glance out at the trees once in a while. It’s a small mental shift that’s like a mini break.

Follow these 6 essential guidelines to make the most of office feng shui from:

In conclusion…

I love working from home. I love being my own boss and having to motivate myself, having the flexibility of scheduling and being able to set my own pace of the day. I love having healthy living for myself and others being my focus of the day. And what goes along with that is making sure my work day is productive and healthy. I’ve had to learn how to organize my day and prioritize tasks. When you run your own biz it’s rewarding and fun, but it’s also disciplined and focused too. It matters so much more because mine, my business, my lifestyle. I design the life I want to live.

Like this:

Hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend! This weekend was pretty 💪🏽fitness oriented for us over here. We were either working out or watching the re-runs of Game Of Thrones, which we have one episode left I think and we’re ready for the new season!!

If you’re a #GOT follower (GOT’er aka…Thronies), and haven’t read the novels yet, what questions or story lines are you eager to see clarified the most??? For me, right now my most looming questions to be answered are;

🤔

❓Will Jamie Lanister be the one to put an end to Cirsei’s craziness

❓After everything she’s been through, and learned, is there any meaning at all to Arya’s story line, really, will it come into use

❓Will Daenerys’s title get longer

And most importantly….

❓ Will any of the 🐺 dire wolves make it

I have many more questions, but that’s what’s on my mind tonight 🙃

So besides re-runs, I headed outside this morning for a quick couple miles. And if the last week or so is any indication of how summer’s gonna be, we’re in for some dog days ahead😢💦. early mornings and inside tracks here I come! It was ☀️🔥 h u m i d 🔥☀️today! But it felt good and my legs are feeling stronger and stronger. I’m really happy I decided to start back at square one and train right. I don’t care how long it takes me to reach my goals. 🐌🐌🐌🐌 Length of time is the least of my worries. These days, doing things in a way that creates strong daily habit is more important than rushing the process and in the end reaching a fail point.

Also, took a break from Shaun week on repeat and the for some yoga and meditation. I needed it mentally and physically. Hubby needed it, because of dreaded shin splints he’s had.

My meditation was emotional and happy. I feel I am in such a good place now and being centered is becoming a more common feeling these days. You just know when all the pieces are starting to fit into place ☸️

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

A little late, but I just saw this article and challenge. I’m game, how about you?

You can always modify when needed:

don’t squat a full extension

just lunge as deep as you can

do pushups on your knees, or with arms up on a weight bench. Or do them off a wall.

THE 31-DAY PLAN

Start by doing 10 reps of each exercise on Day 1, and then add one rep per exercise every day for 31 days. By Day 31, you’ll be doing 40 reps of each exercise, adding up to a whopping 120 reps that day — and 420 reps over the course of a month.

Saturday the hubby and I had a morning yoga session at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. The gardens host quite a few different community projects as well as certificate programs in Floral Design. It was a gorgeous cool spring day and a perfect way to spend Saturday morning together! The class was very beginner friendly and the instructor, Charlotte was amazing! She also teaches Yin Yoga at the The Space Above Yoga Center.

After yoga, we received free admission with the cost of the yoga class. What a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning, yoga to restore surrounded with nature’s beauty. It was a magical day!

It was peaceful and kind of meditative at times. Even though we’ve live in this area nearly 9 years, my hubby’s never been to the Botanical Gardens before. So this made the day extra special.

I’ve been to the Gardens with visiting friends during the height of tourist season and it was beautiful. But it was hot and can get crowded. I’ve always recommended people travel here during off season. No lines, hotels are less expensive, and events are less crowded. So plan two trips to the area. One for relaxing and one to take in all the tourist vibe events!

So now come take a walk with us as we explore the

Norfolk Botanical Gardens

“There is unspeakable beauty and potential to be found in nature. It entices me and is an invitation I just have to accept.” ~Jil Ashton-Leigh

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~Albert Einstein

“It is no longer sufficient to describe the world of nature. The point is to defend it.” ~Edward Abbey

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,There is a rapture on the lonely shore,There is society, where none intrudes,By the deep sea, and music in its roar:I love not man the less, but Nature more” ~George Gordon Byron

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“‘Is the spring coming?’ he said. ‘What is it like?’ …

‘It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine, and things pushing up and working under the earth.'”

~Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. … There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

~Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

~John Muir, Our National Parks

“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling.”

~Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”

~Henry David Thoreau

“Whoever loves and understands a garden will find contentment within.”

~Chinese proverb

As we walked through the Enchanted Forest, the birds became hyper aware and greeted us as we passed by! It was magical!

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“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

~ Lao Tzu

Sadly it was closed, the Butterfly House is a summer event.

But the Butterfly Garden was blooming!

In a field of roses, she is a wildflower.

~Unknown

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” ~William Shakespeare

“The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.”

~Claude Monet

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The Rose Garden

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”

~Dale Carnegie

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“Take time to smell the roses.”

~Proverb

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. We highly recommend it for a low key, long walk kind of day filled with beauty.

Just ran across this and had to share with you guys! Zombie Yoga Original Artwork! If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead & Yoga, you may just love this artwork. You have to check out their Instagram or Kozyndan Blog for all their artwork!